ephoenix

I found a great list of interview questions one should ask over at All Things Bloggable.

I thought I’d add some more here as this used to be one of my biggest fears in a job interview and I think some well thought out question can help you judge the corporate culture, as well as make you seem in high demand, as if you’re the one judging them. I’ve found these questions to be helpful.

What do you consider your biggest strength over your competitors?
This shows your potential employer that you are looking at many companies and make you seem confident that you could get a job anywhere. It also helps you judge one company against another, and will assist you in choosing between potential options. This can also uncover company benefits. Making your employer fight to keep you interested is one of the biggest tips I’ve received for interviews.

What is your policy on promoting from within?
Many companies will choose to look at current employees for new positions over hiring outside people. It is important to know the company’s stance on this so you can judge your career advancement opportunities.

How much freedom so I have within the development process?
Are you going to be asked for creativity or are you simply to write code? This is important because if you expect to be finding innovative solutions to problems, a code monkey job is going to be miserable.

It is also important to judge how the interviewer acts. A formal interview implies a formal business structure, as seen in large corporations. An informal interview, implies a more start-up, relaxed business atmosphere. What is the interview wearing? Do they joke around or stick to the basics? Is the interview in a lounge area or a stark interview room? It’s up to as to what culture you prefer, but know what you’re getting into. Having as much information about a potential employer as possible is the key to getting a job you’ll like, and it will improve your odds of getting an offer if you make yourself seem confident and in demand.

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It simply boggles my mind how bad the current US government is at controlling the public’s perspective of them. In the past it has continually failed to do one of the most important jobs of an American government trying to stay in power: Spin the Truth. Countless stories have been leaked of corruption and ties to big business. For a party so closely linked with Fox News, now one of the most watched news channels in the US, it seems the Bush administration simply cannot the press’s, and therefore the public’s, view of them.

Most recently, the government has chosen to attack a Ground Zero Volunteer. They are charging Bill Maher, of Maywood N.J. with an illegal trip he took to Cuba while he was featured in Michael Moore’s latest film, Sicko. Maher had been suffering health problems since he was a volunteer at Ground Zero. In Moore’s film he travels to Cuba along with other volunteers to receive medical treatment, as they cannot afford it in the United States. Maher has since been investigated and charged with this illegal trip.

What’s wrong with this story?

The government is currently at an all time low in it’s approval rating. People are still mad over Iraq, and constant stories of government corruption have arisen recently as well. It seemed the only thing holding the country together is the shared lingering feeling of unitedness after 9/11. The country could look at all the problems in the world and think, well at least we have eachother.

Now the government has decided to attack one of the heroes of the ultra-American movement, the only movement holding the country together. Yes, technically this man did break a US law by visiting Cuba, but what is there to gain from charging him with it? This move will result in horrible PR for the government as it also makes them appear to be attacking Michael Moore. This will lead Michael Moore to a form a glib sense of self-satisfaction because he ‘messed with the man’, and no one wants that. It almost seems as if this move by the government is an intentional move to go down in a spectacular explosion of corruption and protesters.

After watching movies like Wag the Dog and the Manchurian Candidate, I really expected m ore from the spin doctors of the Bush administration. It seems like the first piece of advice one could give the government is not to attack war heroes. Of course, they could be busy with the countless other fumbles the government in involved in.

Well, at least I have something to watch on CNN.

You can also read my review of Sicko here.

UPDATE 06/26/2007: It seems the evidence of incredibly poor spin doctoring is building. Bush states that atheists should not be considered citizens.

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